Will The MCU Ever Recast Iron Man?

The events of Avengers: Endgame changed the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and saw two big losses, most notably that of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), who sacrificed himself to save the universe – but now that he is gone, and with the multiverse opening up many possibilities for his return, will the MCU ever recast Iron Man? The MCU has been going strong for over a decade, and it all started in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, which introduced Robert Downey Jr. as the title character and set the tone for the subsequent movies.

Iron Man also established Tony Stark as the lead hero of the Infinity Saga, leading the original Avengers team (alongside Captain America) and being the one who saved the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Iron Man was also responsible for the emergence of various villains, for many technological advances and inventions in the MCU, and served as Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) mentor and father figure, further establishing himself as a favorite in the MCU. Iron Man’s absence has been addressed a couple of times since Endgame, mostly in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and while the MCU has been moving forward, speculation about an Iron Man return has reemerged.

The MCU’s Phases 4, 5, and 6 are now officially known as the Multiverse Saga, and so far, the multiverse has shown to be a source of a number of possibilities for the MCU thanks to its infinite timelines, and along with the concept of variants, the return of deceased characters is now more possible than ever. This has led to speculation about Iron Man’s return to the MCU, but if it happened, would Robert Downey Jr. reprise the role or will the MCU dare to recast him?

Why The MCU Can’t Get Over Iron Man

Although the MCU is now moving forward with the Multiverse Saga and adapting to a world without Iron Man and the original Avengers team (though Hulk, Thor, and Hawkeye are still active, but on their own), it hasn’t fully gotten over Iron Man. Immediately after Avengers: Endgame, the MCU linked a new villain, Spider-Man: Far From Home’s Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), to Tony Stark and saw Peter struggling to move on without his mentor, and he continued depending on Stark technology as his suits were made by him (though at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he was seen making his own suit, finally separating himself from Tony Stark). Iron Man’s legacy will continue to be felt in the Multiverse Saga thanks to the TV show Armor Wars, which will see one of Tony’s nightmares come to life: his technology falling into the wrong hands, with Rhodey (Don Cheadle) having to take care of the mess.

The MCU is what it is now in big part thanks to Iron Man, so it’s easy to see why this universe has been struggling to get over him for years now, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. Even if Tony Stark is never mentioned again, the MCU is preparing to welcome an Iron Man replacement in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with the introduction of Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), who will later star in her own TV show, and the arrival of Nathaniel Richards/Ironlad in a near future is now more possible than ever as he’s one of Kang’s (Jonathan Majors) many variants. The MCU now has a long list of interesting and powerful characters who can lead this new era as well or even better than Iron Man did, but instead of finding a new leader, the MCU is focusing a bit too much on repeating Iron Man’s success and legacy, simply because it’s a formula that already proved to be effective.

Could Anyone Play Iron Man As Well As Robert Downey Jr?

Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark was so popular with the audience that there were endless jokes and memes about when Tony ended and RDJ started and vice-versa, as RDJ seamlessly blended with the character. RDJ was able to embody all the traits (positive and negative) of Tony Stark, while also bringing a lot of emotion and a sense of humor to the character. RDJ’s casting is one of many considered “perfect” by Marvel fans due to its accuracy, and as he won over the hearts of the audience since his first appearance as Iron Man, it’s highly unlikely anyone will be able to play Tony Stark/Iron Man was well as Robert Downey Jr. did.

Why The MCU Shouldn’t Recast Iron Man

Given Robert Downey Jr’s perfect performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man, recasting him would be a mistake, even if the audience wants to see the character back in the MCU, somehow. As mentioned above, the multiverse has opened many doors for the MCU, and among the many possibilities it brings is the return of deceased characters. The most popular theory on how the MCU can bring Iron Man back is as a variant, which gives the studio the freedom of recasting the character if RDJ isn’t open or available to return, but that wouldn’t be ideal for Iron Man and the MCU. Precisely because of RDJ’s incredible performance as Iron Man and how popular and beloved he was with the audience, the MCU shouldn’t dare to recast the character and should, instead, find a way to move forward and away from Iron Man’s shadow – whether by replacing him with Ironheart and others, or allowing another, different character to take the lead. Recasting Iron Man would also be disrespectful to RDJ’s work and the character’s story, as no matter how heartbreaking his ending was, it was the perfect closure for him as he died as a hero, and recasting him would undo all that character development and more.

Will The MCU Ever Recast Iron Man?

Due to the many possibilities the multiverse brings and the presence of variants in the MCU, even though it seems unlikely the MCU would recast Iron Man, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility. The MCU hasn’t recast any major characters yet, but it has introduced the variants of a couple of characters (such as Loki and Spider-Man), and unlike those of Doctor Strange, they don’t need to be played by the same actor. This leaves the door even if slightly open to the possibility of the MCU deciding to recast Iron Man at some point if it decides to bring him back, even if that isn’t the best idea. Rumors about Tom Cruise playing an Iron Man variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gained a lot of force before the movie’s release, which has led to speculation on the MCU thinking about recasting Iron Man, but it would be much better for the future of this universe to finally let go of Iron Man and focus on other characters instead.